In arguably one of the biggest upsets of the 2023 Australian Open, rising American star Jenson Brooksby stunned World No.3 Casper Ruud to advance to the third round on Thursday.
Brooksby displayed poise and consistency beyond his years in the 6-3 7-5, 6-7, 6-2 victory, outhitting his higher-ranked opponent in a thrilling encounter on Rod Laver Arena. The 22-year old capitalized on any short balls, either ending ending points by drawing an error or with an outright winner.
The World No.48 was quick to pounce on Ruud's second serve, winning 8 out of 11 of those points in the first set. This allowed him to break his opponent twice and claim the opener. Although the second set saw both players trade breaks, it was Brooksby's dominant play that saw him prevail, as the young American hit 16 winners to only 9 by Ruud.
After another exchange of breaks in the third, Brooksby obtained what appeared to be the crucial break to lead 5-3. However, the California native failed to serve out the match, despite holding a pair of match points. This lapse in momentum saw Ruud break back and force a tiebreak. The Norwegian's big-match experience prevailed, as he reeled off four consecutive points before closing out the set.
But in the end, Brooksby outclassed Ruud in the decider to seal it 6-2 in arguably the biggest win of his life.
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That ending is just cruel 😩
Lady luck on set point gives Jenson Brooksby a 6-3 7-5 lead over No. 2 seed Ruud!
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